J. Kim Vandiver as well as Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp. and Technip receive this year's OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards during the prestigious 2005 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Awards Luncheon, scheduled 12:15 to 1:45 p.m., Tuesday, May 3.

At the event, Rod Allan, OTC.05 Chairman, recognizes an individual and a company or project for outstanding contributions to the offshore industry. The OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals goes to Kim Vandiver for his numerous technical breakthroughs in the dynamics of vortex-induced vibrations that have enhanced the design of structures to withstand high ocean currents, enabling the offshore energy industry to produce oil and gas in progressively deeper water.

Vandiver is professor of mechanical and ocean engineering for the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He teaches dynamics and mechanical vibration at the graduate and undergraduate level. His research focuses on the dynamics of offshore structures and flow-induced vibration. Previously, Vandiver served as dean for undergraduate research and director of the MIT Edgerton Center. He founded the Edgerton Center in 1992 to provide resources for MIT students engaged in hands-on educational projects. Concurrently he served as director of the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

OTC's Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions recognizes Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp. and Technip for their successful global relationship that has pioneered and delivered three generations of spar floating production systems in nine years. Application of the third generation cell spar at Red Hawk has significantly reduced the economical industry reserve threshold for stand-alone deepwater field developments.

The two companies have developed a total of five spars, which are operated by Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp. in the deepwater gulf, with a sixth spar currently under construction for development of another deepwater gulf field. The first unit for all three generations was built by Technip for Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp. Technip has constructed 10 of the industry's 13 operational spar hulls and two topsides - totaling 20 million man-hours of labor. The technology now is being used by other operators and has enabled the economical recovery of energy resources from many fields in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico